Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) FAQs

How do I acquire baseline whole-brain perfusion maps in humans using ASL on GE 3.0T
What protocols are available at the Center for measuring whole-brain perfusion in humans?
What are the latest updates on the CBF processing software?

How do I acquire baseline whole-brain perfusion maps in humans using ASL on GE 3.0T?

A detailed instruction manual that covers data acquisition, reconstruction and CBF quantification can be downloaded here

Data reconstruction and CBF software (Matlab-based):

SENSErc1.1.tar - SENSE reconstruction code

SENSErc1.0_14x.tar - SENSE recon code for the new software platforms (14x) installed on the West scanner (Jan 2007)

CBFv3.1.tar- CBF quantification (compatible with both scanner software platforms)

If you would like to schedule a training session for baseline whole-brain perfusion using ASL, please contact Kun Lu.

What protocols are available at the Center for measuring whole-brain perfusion in humans?

Protocol name
Brain_perfusion_4S Brain_perfusion_SS

Description

FAIR ASL

Spiral-out readout

4 interleaves

gr recon and optional SENSE recon

Scan time (6:40min) + calibration scans (1:00min)

FAIR ASL

Spiral-out readout

Single shot

gr recon

Scan time (4:10min) + calibration scans (1:00min)

Pros

Reduced drop out in the frontal and medial-temporal lobe regions.

Reduced T2* blurring

Shorter scans

Fast reconstruction (< 5minutes)

Cons

Longer scans

Slow reconstruction in Matlab (> 4 hrs ) when using the optional SENSE recon program

Increased signal drop out in the frontal/ medial- temporal lobe regions.

Increased T2* blurring

Recommended use

Recommended for all studies.

The optional SENSE recon is strongly recommended for a more robust performance.

Recommended for motor and visual cortex studies that desire faster scans and data processing.

What are the latest updates on the CBF processing software?

Software version
    Additional functionality

CBFv1.0
   Original release

CBFv2.0    Anatomical can be used for CSF voxel identification

CBFv2.1    Fixed small bug in v2.0

CBFv2.2
   Performs checks, e.g. that ASL and CSF runs acquired with same prescan. Also handles other tagging schemes aside from PASL

CBFv2.3     Fixed small bug in v2.2

CBFv2.4     ASL and CSF scans acquired with different R1 values can be processed; correction is applied. User is warned to check acquisition protocol

CBFv3.0     (1) Performs motion correction of ASL data. (2) Checks system's software versions. (3) Easier CSF slice selecting when using anatomical. (4) User is asked to check alignment of CSF scan relative to the anatomical (if used)

CBFv3.1     Compatible with data collected on GE 3T and 1.5T scanners

Protocol name	Brain_perfusion_4S	Brain_perfusion_SS
Description	FAIR ASL Spiral-out readout 4 interleaves gr recon and optional SENSE recon Scan time (6:40min) + calibration scans (1:00min)	FAIR ASL Spiral-out readout Single shot gr recon Scan time (4:10min) + calibration scans (1:00min)
Pros	Reduced drop out in the frontal and medial-temporal lobe regions. Reduced T2* blurring	Shorter scans Fast reconstruction (< 5minutes)
Cons	Longer scans Slow reconstruction in Matlab (> 4 hrs ) when using the optional SENSE recon program	Increased signal drop out in the frontal/ medial- temporal lobe regions. Increased T2* blurring
Recommended use	Recommended for all studies. The optional SENSE recon is strongly recommended for a more robust performance.	Recommended for motor and visual cortex studies that desire faster scans and data processing.

Software version	Additional functionality
CBFv1.0	Original release
CBFv2.0	Anatomical can be used for CSF voxel identification
CBFv2.1	Fixed small bug in v2.0
CBFv2.2	Performs checks, e.g. that ASL and CSF runs acquired with same prescan. Also handles other tagging schemes aside from PASL
CBFv2.3	Fixed small bug in v2.2
CBFv2.4	ASL and CSF scans acquired with different R1 values can be processed; correction is applied. User is warned to check acquisition protocol
CBFv3.0	(1) Performs motion correction of ASL data. (2) Checks system's software versions. (3) Easier CSF slice selecting when using anatomical. (4) User is asked to check alignment of CSF scan relative to the anatomical (if used)
CBFv3.1	Compatible with data collected on GE 3T and 1.5T scanners